The Perfect Mate

Captain Picard meets his ideal woman: she’s brilliant, bold, adventurous, independent. Of course she is, because Kamala is a metamorph who becomes the perfect woman for every man she meets. Unfortunately, she’s destined for a life of servitude to a man who is definitely not Picard. The Perfect Mate goes into this week’s Mission Log. Are they ever gonna learn not to let random strangers wander the Enterprise? Seriously, someone needs to talk to Worf about this. Here’s the syndication synopsis from Paramount… if anyone needs me, I’ll be on the holodeck! runs off “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century” Podcasts! You announced it. I’m putting the popcorn on now!! So, Kamala wants Picard and Picard wants Kamala, while Alrik is only interested in business. I think I have the perfect solution: Have Alrik marry one of the Ferengi! A dolphin can be best man. This is such a great emotionally-centered story, with a ‘you’re getting on that plane with Kamala or I’ll mention a hill of space beans’ moment at the end. (Too bad they already had an episode called “We’ll Always Have Paris.”) I’m interested in why you (and a lot of posters) hate Vash so much. There are very few times when Picard truly falls for a woman during the series. To me, Vash is Picard’s ‘opposites attract’ moment, while Kamala is two kindred spirits meeting. (btw, Stewart obviously saw something in Jennifer Hetrick, since the two were engaged.) Anyhoo — Thanks for a great podcast & commiserations about next week’s ordeal. Regardless of what they were like in real life, onscreen Jennifer and Patrick didn’t have the same chemistry that Famke has with him. I really disliked Vash…man, kinda jerky, but I just didn’t like her looks. I also felt the return w “Q” taking an interest in her and then a cameo on DS9 was terrible. I felt like wayyyy more other characters deserved a repeat visit. As Picard’s Jewish mother (figuratively), I would agree that Kamala is a better match, especially for Picard whose mind is always hungry. While I credit the writers of TNG a lot, there are times when the credit goes to the actors, as in the case of Famke Jannsen, who brings more than is on the page for this story. (Likewise, you asked whether the Ferengi of DS9 are more developed; yes, but only over time and only because of the excellent work of Armin Shimerman, Max Grodenchik, Aron Eisenberg, and many of the guest Ferengi stars. We finally get layers to the campy profit-crazed would-be villains.) But as the episode discusses, she morphs to fit the man she is with, she spends the most time with Picard. Just rewatch the bar scene in 10 Forward. She easily could be the unnamed guys perfect match, becoming a party animal. In this case, more is fine. Picard has many facets to his character, many interests. He can keep pace drinking with Scotty… discuss archeology and history… spout Shakespeare… and fight Romulans. If Kamala grabs a character trait here or there, she might bring Jean Luc even more interests over time. Just look at how differently she acts towards Riker in their brief interactions. yeah, she turned party girl quick but there would have been some fights for sure….dang, this could get rated X really fast…. “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century” Podcasts! You announced it. I’m putting the popcorn on now!! Literally the day this podcast dropped, my local retro arcade (same place that has the 1983 Sega Star Trek arcade game I showed off a while back) unveiled this find. This is surely a sign. I really dislike the basic idea that to be a “perfect mate” you need to change everything about yourself. I know this will get some hate, but I liked this episode better when Kamala was called Elaan of Troyius Troy – I don’t think the show is any any way siding with the idea that the “perfect mate” should change everything about her/himself. It’s raising that question then grappling with all the fallout. But Kamala does change everything about herself based on who is nearby. I have to say that